Centrifuge rotor



Sept. 26, 1967 P. KOMPERT 3,343,787

CENTRIFUGE ROTOR Filed Oct. 12, 1965 L, T T

Ly-' a 6 l/VVf/VTOR Poul Kompert BY United States Patent CENTRTFUGE ROTOR Paul Kornpert, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to Alfa- Laval AB, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,273 Claims priority, application Sweden, Oct. 14, 1964,

3 Claims. (Cl. 233--23) The present invention relates to centrifuges and more particularly to a centrifuge rotor having a body consisting of two parts clamped to each other in the axial direction of the rotor and in which a separated component is discharged through an outlet formed by tubes fastened to one end of the rotor and extending in the axial direction in the interior of the rotor.

In centrifuge rotors of this known type, the rotor parts are clamped to each other in the axial direction by members specially arranged for that purpose, such as bolts passing in the axial direction through the ends and the interior of the rotor. One of the ends of the bolts is fastened to one of the rotor ends and the other end is threaded. A nut is screwed onto this threaded end, which extends out through the other rotor end. Both rotor parts are clamped to each other by tightening the nuts on the bolts.

According to the present invention, a simplified and less expensive construction is now achieved in that the tubes in the centrifuge rotor are fastened to the other end of the rotor.

The fastening of the tube ends can be effected by means of various fastening members or bayonet catches; but according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tubes extend out through the other rotor end and are fastened to the same by means of nuts screwed onto the projecting tube ends. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the tubes extend only a distance into the interior of the rotor from one of the rotor ends, the tube ends are fastened to the other rotor end by means of bolts extending through the latter end.

The invention is described more in detail below, reference being made to the attached drawing in which the single illustration is an axial sectional view of a lubrication oil cleaner embodying an example of the invention and which comprises the combination of a cyclone and a centrifuge.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates the upper part and 2 the lower part of a casing which surrounds a centrifuge rotor 3 and a cyclone 4. From an oil pan (not shown) oil is pumped through a tangential inlet 5 into the cyclone. Reference numeral 6 designates the outlet for oil cleaned in the cyclone. An upwardly directed pipe stub 7 prevents polluted oil fed in through the inlet 5 from flowing directly into the outlet 6.

The casing part 2 is provided with an outlet 8 for oil cleaned in the centrifuge rotor 3. A rod 9 threaded at its upper end clamps both casing parts 1 and 2 against each other by means of a lower head 10 and an upper nut 11. When cleaning the centrifuge rotor, the nut 11 is unscrewed from the rod, so that the casing part 1 and the centrifuge rotor 3 may be lifted. A pipe is maintained clamped against the upper end of the cyclone 4 by means of bushings l2 and 13 as well as a nut 14 screwed onto the rod 9. A channel 16, annular in crosssection, is formed between the rod and the inside of the pipe 15, this channel leading from the upper end of the cyclone to holes 17 in the wall of the pipe.

The centrifuge rotor is rotatable around the pipe 15 by means of bearings 18 and 19 which are firmly secured to the rotor and thus glide against the outer surface of the pipe. The sliding surfaces are lubricated by oil, which enters the rotor through the holes 17. Oil cleaned in the centrifuge rotor is discharged through two diametrically opposed outlets, only one of which is shown at 20 since the two are identical. Each outlet 20 comprises a tube having an external bead 21 embedded in the rotor bottom 22. The tube 20 is provided at its lower end with an outlet nozzle 23 for cleaned oil, the nozzle 23 being directed in such way that the rotor is caused to rotate by reaction of the jet of oil discharging through the nozzle. Two diametrically opposed holes 24 are further provided in the wall of each tube 20, through which holes the oil cleaned in the rotor flows into the tube. The holes 24 are located at such a height that sludge cannot pass through them when the rotor is stopped, whereby the sludge drops down to the rotor bottom 22. The inside of the upper end of each tube 20 is threaded so that a bolt 25 can be screwed down into it. This arrangement makes it easy to clamp the rotor body 3 against its bottom 22 and to dismantle it when cleaning the rotor.

The oil cleaner operates as follows:

The oil to be cleaned is pumped from the oil pan (not shown) through the tangential inlet 5 into the cyclone 4 and fills the latter under pressure. A rotating motion of the oil thus develops in the cyclone whereby the sludge particles are separated and conveyed to the upper end of the cyclone along its conical wall. Cleaned oil is discharged at the center of the cyclone through the pipe stud 7 and fed under pressure to the lubrication points of the engine through the outlet 6. After having passed through the engine, the now polluted oil flows back down into the oil pan. The fraction of the oil enriched with sludge in the cyclone 4 flows through the channel 16 and the holes 17 into the centrifuge rotor 3. Owing to the rotation of the rotor, the sludge is separated from the oil and collected on the peripheral wall of the rotor, while the cleaned oil is discharged through each tube 20 and its reaction nozzle 23 into the interior of the casings 1 and 2. From the latter, the oil passes through outlet 8 and is further conveyed down into the oil pan. All the sludge formed in the lubrication oil is not removed from the system until the centrifuge rotor is cleaned.

The rotor 3 starts to rotate due to the fact that the rotor is completely filled with oil under pressure the latter generating jets discharging through the nozzles 23.

I claim:

1. The combination of two parts engageable with each other to define a centrifuge rotor having a central rotation axis and also having an inlet leading into the interior of the rotor, said rotor parts being movable relative to each other in the direction of said axis and forming, respectively, opposite ends of the rotor, a tube secured to one end of the rotor and extending into the rotor in the direction of said axis, said tube forming an outlet from the rotor interior, and means securing said tube to the other end of the rotor to clamp said parts together.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which said securing means are releasable to permit disassembly of said rotor parts.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, in which said securing means include a bolt extending through said other end of the rotor and having a threaded connection with the tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,650,022 8/1953 Fulton et a1. 23324 2,723,079 11/1955 Fulton et al. 233-24 FOREIGN PATENTS 738,394 10/ 1955 Great Britain. 757,538 9/1956 Great Britain.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner. H. KLINKSIEK, Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF TWO PARTS ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OTHER TO DEFINE A CENTRIFUGE ROTOR HAVING A CENTRAL ROTATION AXIS AND ALSO HAVING AN INLET LEADING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE ROTOR, SAID ROTOR PARTS BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID AXIS AND FORMING, RESPECTIVELY, OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE ROTOR, A TUBE SECURED TO ONE END OF THE ROTOR AND EXTENDING INTO THE ROTOR IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID AXIS, SAID TUBE FORMING AN OUTLET FROM THE ROTOR INTERIOR, AND MEANS SECURING SAID TUBE TO THE OTHER END OF THE ROTOR TO CLAMP SAID PARTS TOGETHER. 